News Mississippi

Late U.S. Rep Nunnelee to be honored with DEQ building name

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality building in downtown Jackson will soon receive a new title: the Patrick Alan Nunnelee Building.

The state House voted to honor Nunnelee with the building name Thursday.

The late Representative passed in February 2015 after battling brain cancer.

Representative Nunnelee had served the state of Mississippi and the United States House of Representatives for many years. In 1995, Nunnelee won the election for state senator when Roger Wicker resigned to take a seat in the US House of Representatives. He was re-elected in 1999, 2003, and 2007. In 2010, Nunnelee was elected as the 1st Congressional District Representative to the US House for the Magnolia State.

Nunnelee fought a hard battle against brain cancer for seven months. In June 2014, Nunnelee suffered a stroke while surgeons worked on the first brain tumor. In December 2014, he was re-admitted to the hospital after complications, and in January 2015, took the oath of office from his hospital room. A second brain tumor was discovered toward the end of that January. Representative Alan Nunnelee was survived by his wife, Tori Nunnelee, his children, Reed, Emily, and Nathan.

News Mississippi has reached out to the Nunnelee family and is awaiting a response.